CONVERSATION AT HOME - A CASE-STUDY OF A YOUNG DEAF CHILDS COMMUNICATION EXPERIENCES IN A FAMILY IN WHICH ALL OTHERS CAN HEAR

In the past, much research on deaf children's language development has been conducted in schools and clinical settings to examine children's achievement of standard English or to study the effectiveness of mode of communication. The purpose of this study was to examine a deaf chi ld's pragmatic development, her abilities as a language user in the na turally occurring situations of her everyday life at home. Observation s, videotaping, and interviews were used to collect descriptive data o f the child's conversation experiences with hearing family members. fi ndings reveal that deafness has had an impact on the family's beliefs and communication practices. Data show the child to be a competent com municator as she uses language appropriately for a variety of purposes , demonstrates her knowledge of the structural features of conversatio n, and employs an array of communication strategies to achieve mutual understanding with family members.